Community Forward: Letting the Quiet Work Do Some Good

There is a part of my practice that most people never see.

My daily paintings are usually quiet. Unshared. Unannounced. They are the work I return to each day to process the world—to slow down, to listen, to notice what is asking for my attention. Some days they take the form of landscapes, other days still life, and sometimes they are directly tied to my larger bodies of work and ongoing series. All of them are rooted in reflection.

They are not made for an audience.
They are made for grounding.

For a long time, I kept these pieces private because they felt personal and unfinished in the best way. But recently, I felt a nudge to let them move beyond my studio—not for validation, but for purpose. I wanted this hidden practice to do some good in the world.

That is how Community Forward came to be.

Community Forward is a space on my website where I am sharing these small, original daily studies—8×10 and 8×8 works created as part of a consistent, one-and-done practice. No prints. No duplicates. Each piece holds a moment of attention, presence, and care, exactly as it was when it was made.

This offering is deeply tied to my values. Every purchase from the Community Forward page supports Black Girl Brown Girl Collective, an arts-focused nonprofit doing vital work to uplift, resource, and create space for Black and Brown girls and women. Their work is community-centered, relational, and rooted in care, qualities I believe art should also embody.

Community Forward is my way of aligning process with purpose. It is a call to action that asks us to think differently about how art circulates. When you collect one of these pieces, you are not just bringing a painting into your home. You are participating in a cycle of care that moves art from my hands, into your space, and back into the community.

If this resonates, I invite you to explore the page here:
https://myjalark.com/pages/community-forward

You can support by collecting a piece, by sharing the page, or by donating directly to Black Girl Brown Girl Collective. Each action matters. Each one keeps the work moving.

These paintings were never meant to sit quietly forever. They were meant to be part of something living.

Thank you for witnessing this part of my practice.
Thank you for believing in art as a communal act.
The work continues, and it continues together.